Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home—so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works.
Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”
Excerpt from a speech by Eleanor Roosevelt at the presentation of “IN YOUR HANDS: A Guide for Community Action for the Tenth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Thursday, March 27, 1958. United Nations, New York
Amnesty International is marking the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the ‘Small Places Tour’. Inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt’s call for ‘concerted citizen action’ in her famous “small places” speech in 1958, musicians and fans will raise their voices in song and action in venues, cities, towns, communities, neighbourhoods and workplaces. Through hundreds of concerts held around the world, we will draw attention to urgent human rights concerns, recruit thousands of new human rights activists and, hopefully, raise much needed funds for Amnesty campaigns. Amnesty’s 2008 priority campaigns include working to stop violence against women, stopping torture, ending the killing in Darfur, controlling small arms, demanding the closure of Guantánamo, challenging China’s human rights record including its actions in Tibet and working for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners in Burma.
The following are just a few of the ways artists and bands can become involved with the Small Places Tour and the work of Amnesty International. Nothing is too great or too small.
We just ask that you get involved:
- Designate a concert (or concerts) as a Small Places Tour event
- Donate all the proceeds from a concert
- Take part performing in a major Amnesty Hub Concert around the world
- Contact and recruit other artists to participate in Small Places events
- Auction off life experience events (have lunch with, get a guitar lesson from, win a pre-show sound check/acoustic performance for you and your friends, be band’s live photographer, etc.)
- Auction off one of a kind items (autographed set lists, autographed guitar/drum heads,etc from actual gigs, handwritten lyrics, personalized gold/platinum record awards
- Auction off meet & greets in each city of their tour
- Auction off premium seats for concerts during their fall tour
- Designate a single, live tracks, non-LP track or a collection of bonus tracks exclusive to Amnesty and donate the proceeds from any downloads of the song(s).
- Booths / tables at concerts and festivals. While this won’t raise immediate money it will help drive annual membership numbers.
- Website links and banner ads from the artists’ website myspace pages to the Amnesty site.
- Promote the UDHR 60th Anniversary & Amnesty campaigns in blogs and urge fans to sign-up.
For more information on this project and to see some of the artists who are supporting The Small Places Tour check out:
Come to play Bingo at the Electric Picnic 2008 and enter our competition to win 2 FREE tickets to a Small Places Tour event near you!
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